Reviews by ChrisCage:

Beer #2 of 11 reviewed that were brought back from a trip by my in laws to China.

A- Looks like pretty much every other brew that I've seen/consumed from the Orient. Straw like coloring, crystal clear and lots of carbonation rising to the top. The head was actually about an inch thick before settling fairly quick into a thin layer over the beer. Thin lacing attempts to cling to the side of my glass before ever so slowly sliding back into the liquid...not bad; not bad though.

S- The aromas are better than expected, being primarily of sweet malt and cooked vegetables. It is something that is different but I can't quite put my finger on it, but it is more fragrant than I would have expected, very husky/grainy but on a fresher scale. No hopped bitterness noticeable. Overall not a bad aroma...just slightly different, which is good for an Asian lager.

T- Much like the aroma, the flavor isn't all that bad! It has the aforementioned sweet malts and the uniqueness of this is that it has a sweet & tart grainyness to it....I took a quick break and found out that it's made with a special "ponlai" rice which must give it the fragrant aroma/taste that I'm experiencing...an ever mild hop bitterness graces the finish.

M- Thin and watery, much like I expected from this style/area of the world. The rice malt gives this a unique finish that sticks to the palate like paste....otherwise it is clean and refreshing.

D- This is one good Asian adjunct lager and I agree that it is more like a Euro pale than the adjunct character it's labeled as. This actually has some flavor and is easy to down, and I'd especially think this is true in hot humid weather. Definitely give this a try if you come across it!

Smell  The odor is very mild here, but I can pick up some rotten mowed grass and Band-Aids.

Taste  Oh, this is horrid. The Band-Aids carry the day at the taste, and theres some sort of God-awful flavor here that curdles the cheeks. I dont know what it is. Its kind of like a very flat, stale, weak soda.

Mouthfeel  The cheap fizzy mouthfeel is thankfully offset by a bit of dryness, but this is no picnic.

Sinkability  This is slightly better than the Caguama Light that I had earlier today, but its a close race.

I picked this up at an Asian market in St. Louis while traveling with my Taiwanese buddy and our girlfriends. We were down there to pick up some good Asian food and beverages, and I found this on the trip.

A - A big fluffy head rises above a dull honey hued brew, but recedes pretty fast. Some random lace is left behind. Nothing much to look at here, but the head is much better than most brews of this style. Why is it that any basic lager is called American-Macro-Lager? It seems that the Asian and Mexican beers, though similar to BMC, are usually quite a bit more flavorful, and have much more substantial heads.

S - Snappy hops lend this a crisp and biting note, and the bubbly carbonation tickles my nose hairs. Some really nice saaz notes are there, along with a crisp sea-salt air aroma that makes this refreshing on the nose. There is an almost lemon-rind note too. I'm impressed!

T - This is pretty assertive for a usually weak style. This has loads of crisp wheaty-twang and witbier-like hops along with some added spice. The malt notes are honey and light fruit focused, and all of the flavors aren't shy about showing themselves. This is really pretty damn good stuff!

M - Light bodied, crisp, and refreshing with a heavier feel than most macro lagers. You can tell that there is some weight behind the ingredients in this brew.

D - I honestly wasn't expecting much from this beer, and I'm pleasantly surprised! This is not overly complex, but it has some really solid flavors going for it, and it's extremely thirst quenching and refreshing. Wow!

Note: Saw this on Wikitravel.org "A wide variety of imported beers are available, but the standard is Taiwan Beer &#21488;&#28771;&#21860;&#37202;, produced by a former government monopoly. It is brewed with fragrant penglai rice in addition to barley giving it a distinctive flavor."

Found this at Euro Market and for $1.69 and couldn't pass up the label. It's almost entirely clean, but there's a very mild sour tang. Otherwise there's a sweet, pale barley kick with light berry fruit and a crisp, dry finish. The beer as the body of your regular premium beer, though the carbonation is a touch lighter. It's not bad by any stretch, just a plain, good for the style, adjust lager like Stroh's or Narragansett.

Poured from a 600ml. brown pry off bottle into a pint glass. Pours a medium straw in color, quite clear, and with a half inch of just off white head. Offers typical or better retention and lacing and without any floaties some others experienced.

Semi sweet malts on the nose with a notable sweet rice component. Light noble hop presence. Overall quite light on the nose and without any detractions at the same time. Hops more prominent after some air. Closer to a Euro. Pale Lager in style.

Taste follows the nose with sweet grains dominant though not coarse or bready. Slight citrus finish lingers briefly. Carbonation is good but does thin out a bit after some time, yielding a light creaminess. Sweetness doesn't deter drinkability as this beer isn't really that sweet, only that it's malt profile is somewhat simple and singular in its approach. Actually quite smooth and light and drinks easily.

Still on vacation and trying my only non Japanese beer here in Tokyo. Poured from a green 11.2 oz. bottle. Has a rich golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is a bit on the skunky side, imagine that, damn green bottles. Taste is crisp, grains, some malts, very refreshing. Feels light in the mouth and overall is a pretty good example of this style.

Taiwan pijio! ok, i admit that its been almost 2 years since I drank this beer while living in Taiwan. This goes totally against the Alstrom "tips" of review. but since this is a bottom of the barrel macro, I figure I'll indulge...
So I won't attempt to specifically review, but rather recall my memory of this brew. It got me through some rough evenings, better than many American macro lagers I've met. more body than the lites, on par with a PBR in my mind. best had when cold and icy. Ok, I admit that this was a clearly below average brew experience. but i learned that if you drop salted prunes into the beer, it is a little more adventurous and palatable. All in all, can't knock it for what it is. replace this beer at a frat party and nobody would know the difference.
I have to agree with reviewer below that this beer not only compliments taiwanese cuisine, but also the bin lan and paolyta habits i picked up.
for nostalgia's sake, I wish I could get this in the US.. apparently others have found it? I'd like to find out where, and buy a sixer.
THX

Someone reviewed this beer as Taiwan's Coor's Light. Probably right, and here (or at least here defining the few blocks I am willing to walk in each direction from my hotel) this passes as a pretty good option. Taiwan is not a beer mecca, and during the hot humid days Taiwan beer and it's non-offensive and light qualities hit the spot. Worth a try while in Taiwan, even if for nothing else than being cheap. And this version is much better than the lager.

I found this 1 pint 4.2oz brown bottle at the Binny's store in Bloomingdale, IL for $3.49. This will be my first beer from Taiwan. No freshness date, but I want to note that the label design on the bottle version looks nothing like the design on the can.

The beer pours a clear pale gold color and makes a 1½-finger dish soap looking white head that fades in less than a minute back to a thin white rim. Very little lacing on this one.

The beer has a mild lager smell - nothing offensive, but nothing interesting either. Faint sweet malt and even fainter hop presense, but at least there is some.

Not bad, not great. On par with the majority of the big popular macro brews. Mild malt sweetness balanced with a touch of bitterness from the hops.

Light body with crisp carbonation.

I'd drink it again if offered, but I see no reason to go out and buy it at US prices, but I could see drinking it if I visited or lived in Taiwan.

A: The beer is clear yellow in color and has a very slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin head that quickly died down, leaving only delicate lacing covering the surface.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of musty corn in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has a light amount of bitterness. It’s not skunky, just musty.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer has a good amount of flavors compared to others in the style, except that the taste isn’t that good.